<description>&lt;p&gt;Retail is evolving at an incredible pace, but at its core, it still comes down to people. Michelle Wlazlo, brand CEO of JCPenney, joins Retail Gets Real to share her grounded and optimistic perspective on where the industry is headed and why the fundamentals of serving customers remain as important as ever.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:00:00) A retail career shaped by customers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:06:44) Why physical stores aren’t going anywhere&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:09:02) Reintroducing JCPenney to a new generation of customers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:15:52) The forces reshaping retail right now&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:17:52) Career advice that changes how you lead and grow&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:19:54) What will and won’t change in the future of retail&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:22:24) The joy of shopping beyond just buying&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every day, we passionately stand up for the people, policies and ideas that help retail succeed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Resources:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a href="https://corporate.jcpenney.com/2025/05/12/one-month-in-jcpenneys-boldest-campaign-yet/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Yes—JCPenney: Their Boldest Campaign Yet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a href="https://nrf.com/membership/nrf-membership" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Become an NRF member&lt;/a&gt; and join the world’s largest retail trade association&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Learn about our retail education platform, NRF Foundation, at &lt;a href="https://nrffoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;nrffoundation.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Learn about retail advocacy at &lt;a href="https://nrf.com/advocacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;nrf.com/advocacy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Find more episodes at &lt;a href="https://retailgetsreal.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;retailgetsreal.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Related:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a href="https://nrf.com/podcast/how-bealls-is-shaping-the-next-era-of-value-shopping" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;393: How Bealls is shaping the next era of value shopping&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a href="https://nrf.com/podcast/how-old-navy-is-building-opportunity-at-scale" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;401: How Old Navy is building opportunity at scale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Retail Gets Real

National Retail Federation

411. Redefining JCPenney for today’s customer

MAR 24, 202626 MIN
Retail Gets Real

411. Redefining JCPenney for today’s customer

MAR 24, 202626 MIN

Description

Retail is evolving at an incredible pace, but at its core, it still comes down to people. Michelle Wlazlo, brand CEO of JCPenney, joins Retail Gets Real to share her grounded and optimistic perspective on where the industry is headed and why the fundamentals of serving customers remain as important as ever.(00:00:00) A retail career shaped by customers(00:06:44) Why physical stores aren’t going anywhere(00:09:02) Reintroducing JCPenney to a new generation of customers(00:15:52) The forces reshaping retail right now(00:17:52) Career advice that changes how you lead and grow(00:19:54) What will and won’t change in the future of retail(00:22:24) The joy of shopping beyond just buyingThe National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association.Every day, we passionately stand up for the people, policies and ideas that help retail succeed.Resources:• Yes—JCPenney: Their Boldest Campaign Yet• Become an NRF member and join the world’s largest retail trade association• Learn about our retail education platform, NRF Foundation, at nrffoundation.org• Learn about retail advocacy at nrf.com/advocacy• Find more episodes at retailgetsreal.comRelated:• 393: How Bealls is shaping the next era of value shopping• 401: How Old Navy is building opportunity at scale